Miranda Hart to present Royal Variety Performance

Miranda Hart will "smash a glass ceiling" as the first female solo host of the Royal Variety Performance, which takes place in London later this month

Miranda Hart will "smash a glass ceiling" as the first female solo host of the Royal Variety Performance.

The 44-year-old comic is proud to be takinng the reins of the prestigious show, which will take place at the London Palladium on 24 November, because she always loved watching the event at home when she was younger.

She said: "If you don't mind me I am just going to smash a glass ceiling and be the first woman to host the Royal Variety. That felt good!

"It's thrilling for me because of that, and because I am hugely proud to be part of such an important event in our comedy and variety heritage as the Royal Variety Performance.

"The young-wannabe-comedian me who watched the show every year would be just as excited to hear that grown-up me is going to be hosting - only I'll be doing it without the 1970s pudding bowl haircut that made me look like a young male monk!"

This year's Royal Variety Performance will see performances from the likes of The Killers, Louis Tomlinson, Seal, James Blunt, The Script, Michael Ball and Alfie Boe and Paloma Faith.

'Frasier' actor Kelsey Grammer will also take to the stage, as will the casts of 'Big Fish', 'Annie', and '42nd Street', West End divas Beverley Knight, Cassidy Janson and Amber Riley, 'Britain's Got Talent' winner Tokio Myers and comedians Jason Manford and Tom Allen.

While Miranda is the first female solo host of the event, 'Crossroads' actress Noele Gordon was the first woman to helm the show alongside Ted Rogers in 1974, while the likes of the late Cilla Black, Cat Deeley and Emma Forbes have also taken the reins in part in the past.